Pettitte Great, Lee Better, Rangers Take 2-1 ALCS Lead

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Rob Abruzzese
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Andy Pettitte made a first inning mistake to Josh Hamilton that put the Yankees behind 2-0 which was more than enough as Cliff Lee held them scoreless in an 8-0 loss in game three of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium last night.

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6 Responses to Pettitte Great, Lee Better, Rangers Take 2-1 ALCS Lead

  1. Ken says:
    October 18, 2010 at 10:16 pm

    This is a disgrace, given the Yankees' payroll.

    • Mike S. says:
      October 19, 2010 at 3:44 am

      Payroll has nothing to do with it. I can pay anyone a fortune if I had the money, but if they don't have the skills, or someone is better, the job won't get done. A 36 year old athlete may make a lot of money because of his prior record, achievements and history, but if his skill level has dropped below that of a 24 year old who doesn't have that history, doesn't make that money, but whose skills are better, then money and payroll won't mean a damn thing. Money don't run, swing a bat, or pitch.

      Money usually goes to players who have done it before and most likely are now on the downswing. You are paying for their history and hope that history continues. So if you have a team with a lot of money, start looking at their ages. Most likely that team has a lot of players over 30, and quite possibly, over 35. Money also can make a team top-heavy in which too much is invested in stars and not enough into a bench. When or if that over-30 star gets hurt, teams are screwed. No one says anything about that. If someone underperforms but is healthy nonetheless, the money makes it harder to move that individual. No one talks or writes about that (bench and inability to move, or age) when it comes to money. The money can be an albatross but no one talks about that.

      You are still paying human beings, not machines.

      Most of the time, it's just envy. People are jealous of the amount of money players get for playing a game. But no one bitches about a rock or movie star getting an exorbitant amount of money, do they? They'll complain about Crawford or Lee getting X amount this offseason but if Jack Nicholson gets $10-$15M for his next film, not a word about that. The truth is, you are worth as much as someone else is willing to pay you. Period. And there isn't any person out there who, if presented with a contract and salary the size of what some players get, wouldn't rush to the nearest pen.

  2. seasoned observer says:
    October 19, 2010 at 3:29 am

    Great start by Andy wasted. Lee was good but the hitters helped him out. Three balls put in play to the opposite field all night. Trying to pull Lee is a recipe for disaster. 3 runs in 26 innings. No productive at bats with runners on. No hits with RISP. Things look bleak for the Mudville nine.

    • Mike S. says:
      October 19, 2010 at 3:49 am

      Lee figured out something that Maddux did a while ago. When in trouble, don't throw harder but go slower. Location is everything, along with movement. Warren Spahn said "pitching is disrupting hitter's timing." If one is having trouble at 92 hitting his spot and having command, don't ratchet it to 94. That rushing can make things worse. Take it down to 90 if it means that the location and movement improve. Better to take it down to hit your spot then ratchet it up and keep missing it.

  3. Bronx Knight says:
    October 19, 2010 at 5:20 am

    I felt bad about the loss until I realized that we have Burnett pitching. Oh man, wait a minute … AJ is pitching game 4??

    Hold on while I run to church: Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee …

    • Mike S. says:
      October 19, 2010 at 6:35 am

      Actually, only one Ranger has a career average over .250 vs. Burnett and that is Murphy at .294. So you don't know. … A.J. had a 2.50 ERA vs. Texas this year with 17 K in 18 IP.

      Can he give one good game? Who knows. But he is capable of it.